Thomas Malthus once said, "The power of the population is indefinitely greater than the power of the earth to produce subsistence for man." Albert Einstein could instead argue that "necessity is the mother of all inventions", albeit in another context. So what is it? Are we condemned to uncontrolled population growth followed by a Malthusian catastrophe, or can we avoid it by increasing food production, decreasing population growth rates, or by other means? To say that the Malthusian catastrophe is inevitable is completely unjustified. Is it possible? Of course – it stands to reason that if human population reached levels that far exceeded food supply, the resulting global famine would create easily combustible tensions between nations and facilitate disease through malnutrition and crowding – both contributing to a toll of victims due to potentially massive starvation. This is certainly a chilling prospect, but the words “plausible” and “probable” should not be confused. Indeed, there is much evidence that we may have already abandoned the path to such collapse. Even if this were wrong, it is incredibly unlikely that it is already too late to avoid those most at risk through aid and interventions in favor of developed countries. First, according to Boserup's research on agricultural development, Malthus' hypothesis that population growth results from agricultural intensification is unjustified, and it is more likely that increased agricultural productivity is the cause of growth of the population rather than the effect. The problem with establishing this definitively, of course, is that growth rates and increases in food production occur over long periods of time, and it is therefore difficult to determine definitively… half of the paper… from above to adapt to the bearable limits of the environment. Furthermore, the desperate situation that members of these nations will find themselves in could lead them to take equally desperate measures to support themselves and their families, with potentially devastating ripple effects that spread globally. In other words: a Malthusian catastrophe. This is the case of the tragically impoverished Somali pirates. In this sense, it is not only humanitarian but also thoughtful that highly developed nations have sufficient resources both to aid social development and to curb population growth rates of those countries that threaten to return to phase one through social catastrophe if left without help. Of course, this also raises many questions. There are many sensitive cultural considerations that must be taken into account when interacting with local populations.